SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (Reserve System) is a federal-state partnership program authorized under the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. ( printed page 70066) 1461). The Reserve System protects a representative system of estuaries across the nation and is dedicated to improving estuarine science, education, and stewardship. Reserve activities directly inform the local and national management of the nation's coasts and increase the resilience of coastal communities. There are currently 30 reserves across 25 different U.S. states and territories. Together, the national reserves protect more than 1.4 million acres of estuarine habitat for long-term research, monitoring, education, and stewardship.

Each reserve is managed by a lead state agency or university and brings together local stakeholders, scientists, land management professionals, and educators to understand coastal management issues and generate local, integrated solutions. NOAA administers the Reserve System but does not own or manage the land within a reserve. Instead, NOAA provides strategic direction, national coordination, technical assistance, and funding to states to implement reserves at the local level. The designation of a reserve does not add new state or federal regulations. Memoranda of Agreement are used to articulate roles and responsibilities among relevant partners and landowners in the state and NOAA.

The Green Bay Reserve nomination process formally began on March 25, 2019, when the governor of Wisconsin submitted a letter of interest to NOAA. NOAA responded affirmatively on July 19, 2019. Between September 2020 and September 2022, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, with guidance from NOAA, undertook a comprehensive site selection process for the proposed Green Bay Reserve. This process was informed by input from the public, affected landowners, state and federal agency representatives, Tribal nations, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and local government units. Through this collaborative process, the state selected a site for the proposed reserve comprising three components (Peshtigo River, Lower Bay, and Sturgeon Bay) and consisting entirely of publicly owned or land trust-held areas. NOAA received the state's nomination of the proposed multicomponent site for the Green Bay Reserve on December 29, 2022. NOAA evaluated the nomination package and found that the proposed site met the Reserve System's requirements. (See 16 U.S.C. 1461(b).)

On January 25, 2024, NOAA informed the State of Wisconsin of its accepted nomination and started the formal designation process by publishing a notice of intent to prepare a draft environmental impact statement and hold scoping meetings on the proposed designation. Public hearings were held on March 19, 2024, and written comments were accepted until April 19, 2024.

The National Estuarine Research Reserve System's implementing regulations require the preparation of both a draft management plan and environmental impact statement as part of the designation process. (15 CFR 921.13.)

II. Draft Environmental Impact Statement

The purpose of the Green Bay Reserve DEIS is to inform decision-makers and the public about the potential environmental impacts of designating the proposed Green Bay Reserve as the 31st reserve in the nation. NOAA prepared this document pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. (NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) Three alternatives were evaluated as part of this DEIS:

• No Action Alternative: As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, a “no action alternative” must be considered. The no action alternative represents the scenario in which NOAA does not proceed with the proposed action. In this case, the no action alternative is the result of declining to designate the Green Bay Reserve and implement its draft management plan.
• Alternative A: Under this alternative, NOAA would designate the originally nominated site as a reserve. Alternative A, including upland, wetland, and open waters, is approximately 37,714 acres in size. The proposed land and waters are organized into three component areas by geography: the Peshtigo Component, the Lower Bay Component, and the Sturgeon Bay Component.
• Alternative B: Under this alternative, NOAA would designate a revised nominated site as a reserve. Alternative B is similar to Alternative A, though with minor modifications. Specifically, additional lands adjacent to the originally nominated site acquired by landholding partners are integrated into the proposed reserve boundary; meanwhile, small parcels that are not closely aligned with the mission of the Reserve System are removed, and the delineation of core and buffer areas are revised. Alternative B is approximately 36,502 acres in size.

These alternatives allow NOAA to evaluate environmental impacts while addressing the proposed action's purpose and need.

Designating and implementing the proposed Green Bay Reserve, under any of the analyzed alternatives, is not expected to result in significant adverse impacts to the natural or human environment. Designating the proposed Green Bay Reserve and implementing its draft management plan provides multiple benefits. First, the reserve would support existing efforts and establish new research, monitoring, education, and stewardship programs to address priority coastal management issues in the Green Bay estuary. Additionally, the reserve would leverage existing authorities to ensure a stable environment for long-term research and provide a framework for coordination and oversight to achieve its goals. Finally, the designation would bring additional financial and staff resources to support estuary management.

Once designated, the Green Bay Reserve would commence operations, with associated education, research, training, stewardship, and monitoring opportunities and activities. The draft management plan highlights activities that, independently or when aggregated with other factors, may contribute to reasonably foreseeable impacts on the affected environment. If a reserve is designated, future federal actions (including actions funded through NOAA cooperative agreements) will be evaluated individually to comply with applicable environmental laws and policies.

III. Draft Management Plan

The purpose of the draft management plan is to set a course for operating the proposed Green Bay Reserve upon designation. The plan provides for administration, research, education, training, stewardship, facilities, and management of the proposed site. (15 CFR 921.13.) The draft management plan for the proposed Green Bay Reserve supports the goals of the Reserve System (15 CFR 921.1(b)) and addresses issues relevant to northeastern Wisconsin. Specifically, the plan defines four key issues relevant to Northeast Wisconsin and the Green Bay estuary to focus on over the next five years, should the reserve be designated:

• Preparing Great Lakes communities for long-term ecosystem change and variability
• Restoring sustainable and holistic land-water connections
• Preserving biodiversity through improved ecological integrity and ecosystem resilience
• Enhancing the Bay of Green Bay's sense of place and connection to quality of life

( printed page 70067)

The draft plan also defines goals that reflect the priorities of the proposed reserve during the first five years after designation:

• Goal 1: Strengthen community adaptation and preparation for projected impacts of climate-driven hydrologic shifts and changing lake levels
• Goal 2: Reduce excessive sediment, nutrient, and contaminant loadings into the Bay from watershed inputs
• Goal 3: Strengthen the ability of native and noninvasive species to access terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic habitats and improve interconnectedness of ecosystem components
• Goal 4: Restore healthy wetland, submerged aquatic, and benthic habitats and promote diverse species assemblages
• Goal 5: Foster historical awareness and contemporary connections between people and the Green Bay estuary
• Goal 6: Promote sustainable, beneficial uses of the Bay for regional communities

If designated, the Green Bay Reserve—like all reserves in the system—would be responsible for the implementation of programs related to education, research, training, stewardship, and monitoring in service to communities surrounding the Green Bay estuary. The draft management plan for the Green Bay Reserve includes information on its core programs as well as program-specific focal areas, potential for partnerships, needs, and opportunities. If designated, the development and implementation of these reserve programs would be led by the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the lead state agency for the proposed Green Bay Reserve.

As previously noted, the Coastal Zone Management Act's implementing regulations for the Reserve System require NOAA to provide notice in the Federal Register of the availability of the DEIS (15 CFR 921.13), the draft management plan (15 CFR 921.20(h)), and associated public hearing(s).

Authority:16 U.S.C. 1461; 15 CFR 921.13.

91 FR 70065